The Pros And Cons Of Atomic Bombing

In The Winning Weapon? : Rethinking Nuclear Weapons in Light of Hiroshima, author Ward Wilson attempts to make the argument that Japan did not surrender from WWII because of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. But rather that the invasion of the Soviet Union was the deciding factor in their withdraw. He then uses this argument to indicate that our views on nuclear weapons, and how they affected Japan’s military decisions is incorrect. Wilson begins his argument looking at the Japanese’s military and political standing prior to the bombing of Hiroshima.

Although this atomic bomb appeared to be needed, it was seen to be an immoral instrument of destruction by many. The Nippon Times had stated, “This is not war; this is not even murder, this is pure nihilism. This is a crime against God and humanity which strikes at the very basis of moral existence” (David M., 419). In addition, there was no advantage of hurling the bomb without announcing the possession of it to Japan. Through this announcement, Japan may have been more aware of the true power America had and may have resulted in them surrendering (David M., 421).

The Japanese were ruthless and brutal when it came to their militaristic decisions and motives. Dropping the atomic bomb was our final hope in stopping them from performing further harm. Either way, lives were going to be taken. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we wanted those lives to be those of Americans or the Japanese. President Truman had to make a vital decision, and using nuclear warfare was the only way to stop Japan without killing American soldiers.

“Dropping the atomic bombs on Japan saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and some believed it was the only way to end the war quickly.” in Dropping the A-Bomb Saved Lives. As a result of dropping the bomb Japan lost lives of soldiers, civilians and land. Japan also lost power in their government because of the bombs, and many business, houses got destroyed and created some tension between the governments. The U.S. only had a few choices since Japan wouldn't surrender the U.S. had to do something.

The United States invasion of Japan led to numerous casualties and severe damage yet Japan stood its ground, proving it would fight to the death. At times violence is the answer; Japan had no intention of surrendering, no matter the consequence. U.S. Secretary of war, Henry Stimson, confirms that “only the complete destruction of her military power could open the way to lasting peace”.(Document B) Each day brought great suffering, and the only logical solution to dealing with millions of suicidal soldiers was to kill off the problem. After the Japanese repeatedly refused to surrender the United States was forced to put its nuclear warfare to use and bomb both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, doing what they believed was their only

To begin, these bombings were unjustified based on the moral principles the United States broke. In Document D, readers are told one survivor’s experience the day of the Hiroshima attack and the hysteria the bomb caused. The survivor confirms the dangerous smoke, dust, and debris in the air and the suffering residents went through. These bombs caused pregnant women to birth babies with birth defects, radiation exposure, and an increase in cancer rates in the nation (Counting the Dead). In Document G, the Commander of the U.S. Army Air Force at the time discusses other effects the bombs caused, like hundreds of thousands of deaths, a greater number of wounded

The decisions made to drop the A-bomb in Japan by president Harry Truman are often criticized, but to judge an opinion based off of the standards of this day and era is meaningless. Although everyone has different propositions, views, or opinions the decision that Truman made to protect his country seems like the only justifiable solution of ending this war. President Harry Truman had to make one of the most difficult decisions ever known to mankind. Many critics recognize the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as merciless acts to express the United States mobilization of their military superiority. Therefore, in question of this laborious outcome, how did the United States and Truman come to their commitment of terrorizing millions of lives

The American troops and civilians were all very tired from the ongoing 4 year war. There were troops occupying Okinawa and Iwo Jima, two cities in Japan. The Japanese army was refusing to surrender with the 2 million troops stationed in the homeland islands of the Japan. As much as Truman did not want to have to drop the two bombs, the Japanese left the United States no other choice. The allies even demanded an unconditional surrender.

On the morning of April 6th, 1945, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America dropped a bomb developed to destroy homes on Hiroshima, Japan. Instantly, 18,000 people were killed, and around 400,000 more died from radiation effects afterward. Nine days later, on April 15th, Japan surrendered and the war between Japan and America ended. With many American people questioning if the bomb was needed to end the war, America released an article stating that the bomb was a necessary evil. But, many still wonder whether or not America should have dropped the atomic bomb.

There have been few national catastrophic events that have remained relevant to each new generation of people. Some of these circumstances occurred naturally while others caused great damage purposefully. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings of World War II are among the moments in time that are recognizable to each person worldwide. Although these bombings were extremely significant during the war and lead to Japanese surrender, there are many speculations concerning whether or not the bombings were crucial for the victory of the United States. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were both extremely necessary because other strategies of the United States to end the war would not have been as effective, the United States needed a way to intervene

As a result of Japan bombing Pearl Harbor, and the United States suffering the lives of nearly 1200 crewmen, afterward not responding to the attack immediately, we were bound to return soon enough recharged and ready for war. Merely 4 years later, the summer of 1945 as the conjuring of the bomb began, The United States finalized their combative weapon to defeat Japan entirely. This weapon became the most powerful yet, an atomic bomb that no country has ever anticipated. The atomic bombs “Little boy, and Fat man” destroyed, “wreckage of the city, in gutters, along the river banks, tangling tiles and tin roofing, charred trees”, without any doubt, “instantly, 70,000 Japanese citizens were

Revisiting Hiroshima: the role of US and Japanese history textbooks in the construction of national memory by Keith Crawford describes how US textbooks focus on the decision to use the bomb as a necessary action to end the war, excluding the information that might reflect poorly on US national character, while Japanese textbooks emphasize the suffering of the victims and the need for

Name: Course Instructor: Class: Date: Critical Book Review: Prompt and Utter Destruction Introduction Within weeks, word on the US dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki began to spread that the main reason behind the bombs was to save the lives of Americans (Bernard). It was put that hundreds of thousands of American military causalities were saved through the bombings.

the bomb’s code name was “Little Boy”. Three days later, on August 9th, 1945, America dropped another bomb on Nagasaki with the code name “Fat Man”. As many as 200,000 deaths were caused by “Little Boy” alone and many people would die of radiation for years to come. The dropping of the Atom bomb on Hiroshima is an extremely debatable issue with no right or wrong answer. In this essay I will describe both sides to the argument then conclude using my final opinion on whether I am for or against the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima.

Imagine living in a period in which the realities of war encased the world, and the lethal potential to end all suffering was up to a single being. During World War II, tensions between Japan and the United States increased. Despite pleas from US President, Harry Truman, for Japan to surrender, the Japanese were intent on continuing the fight. As a result, Truman ordered the atomic bomb, a deadly revolution in nuclear science, to be dropped on the towns of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. President Harry Truman, in his speech, “Announcement of the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb,” supports his claim that the dropping of the A-bomb shortened the war, saved lives, and got revenge by appealing to American anger by mentioning traumatic historical events and